Dressel wins, but Manuel fails to advance in stunner
OMAHA, NEB. » Caeleb Dressel locked up his spot for Tokyo, where he’s expected to be one of the biggest stars in the Olympic pool. But Simone Manuel got left behind.
In the biggest surprise yet at the U.S. swimming trials, the defending Olympic women’s champion in the 100-meter freestyle failed to advance from the semifinals Thursday night.
Manuel, who tied for the gold at the Rio Olympics to become the first Black female ever to win an individual swimming event, finished fourth in the first semifinal heat at 54.17 seconds.
She just missed a spot in Friday night’s final when five swimmers went faster in the second semifinal heat, with Erika Brown taking the eighth spot in 54.15 — twohundredths faster than Manuel.
There were no such concerns for Dressel, who romped to victory in the men’s 100 free in 47.39. He finally got a chance to shine on Day 5 of the trials after a long week of waiting. When Dressel saw a “1” beside his name, he hopped on the lane rope, splashed the water and pumped his arms to whip up the crowd.
“It’s a huge weight off my shoulders,” Dressel said. “I’m excited to get the job done and move forward.”
In the wake of Michael Phelps’ retirement, Dressel has emerged as the next big thing in men’s swimming. After winning two golds medals at the 2016 Rio Games, he really shined at the last two world championships.
In 2017, Dressel captured seven gold medals in Budapest — joining Phelps and Mark Spitz as the only swimmers to win that many races at a major international meet.
Dressel followed up with six golds and two silvers at the 2019 championships in Gwangju, becoming only the second swimmer to take as many as eight medals after Phelps.
A giant picture of Dressel adorns the outside of the downtown Omaha arena where the trials are being held.
“All the fluff that comes with it, your name on the building, is cool,” he said. “But it adds a little bit different pressure to it.”
While Dressel isn’t expected to swim enough events in Tokyo to challenge Phelps’ record of eight golds from the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he could be in the mix for as many seven medals if he’s included on all the relays.
Dressel isn’t thinking that far
ahead. He’s still got two more individual events at the trials, and he’s heavily favored in both.
“You can’t win five, six or seven medals if you don’t qualify for the events,” he said. “I’m focused on qualifying right now.”
In the women’s 100 free semifinals, Natalie Hinds and Olivia Smoliga were the top qualifiers in 53.55. Allison Schmitt, who already made the team in the 200 free, advanced to the final with the sixth-best time (54.08).
Manuel’s failure to make it to the 100 free final means she won’t be in the mix for the relays, either. She still has a chance to qualify for the team in the 50 free — an event she took silver in as part of a four-medal haul at Rio.